N-A-A 046 Selma
046 Selma
"Wow, our ice queen can't wait to enjoy some alone time with her knight," First Mate Grayson said jokingly as he watched Zero and Lu Mingfei leave.
Ye Sheng and Aki exchanged a glance and laughed together. Seeing this, Selma also came over and asked, "Are you two going to enjoy some alone time?"
Aki blushed immediately and hurriedly waved her hands, "Ye Sheng and I are partners, not that kind of relationship. This, this is not allowed..."
"So, if allowed, you two would be in that kind of relationship?" Selma didn't let Aki off the hook at all.
"Huh? No, that's not it. Rules are rules. Even if Ye Sheng is me..." Aki's head started steaming, and she became incoherent.
"Selma, as an intern in the Executive Department, you need to show respect to your seniors, or you'll regret it later!" Ye Sheng quickly intervened, gently tapping Selma's head three times.
"Hehe, Aki-senpai is so gentle, how could she make things difficult for me?" Selma covered her head with her hands, stuck out her tongue, and said, "Did Ye Sheng-senpai tap my head three times, meaning he wants me to come to your room in the middle of the night?"
"I want you to go back into the stone and be locked up for three hundred years before you come back to harm others!" Ye Sheng said frantically.
This Latina girl is quirky and loves studying myths and legends from various countries, especially Journey to the West. She secretly assigns roles to everyone around her: Professor Mance is the Golden Cicada who retains his magic; Ye Sheng is the despicable Pig Ganglie who stole away Aki, the long-legged spider demon; Grayson is the hardworking Sha Wujing; and the true protagonist, Sun Wukong, is, of course, the lovely and charming Selma herself.
But today's S-class performance was too dazzling and too cool, so Selma reluctantly gave up the role of Sun Wukong to Lu Mingfei. So who is Zero? Zero is Bai Jingjing! That's right, A Chinese Odyssey is also Journey to the West!
As a fan of Journey to the West, Selma not only watched the 86 version of Journey to the West, but also Stephen Chow's version of A Chinese Odyssey, and she liked them both!
So who is she herself? Chang'e, the Moon Goddess? Oh my god, that's a little embarrassing. If Zero were a little older, she would indeed resemble Chang'e. A rabbit spirit? But she loves spicy rabbit heads, so being a rabbit spirit might not be a good idea…
"Damn it, the moment Lu Mingfei arrived, the fantasy stage play that Selma had painstakingly built for this team completely collapsed. No, we have to change the scene," Selma thought. Back at school, she was going to take an elective course on Indian mythology; she was quite interested in the imaginative world of Indian mythology.
"Selma!" came the voice of Tang Sanzang—no, Jin Chanzi, oh wait, it was Professor Mans. "What are you daydreaming about? You're the most idle person on the whole ship. Hurry up and put the brass pot into the storage room!"
"Yes, sir!" Selma quickly took the mission target from Ye Sheng and carried it to the ship's storage room with great effort.
"Hmph, I don't know what she's thinking about all day," Professor Mance said, looking at Selma's energetic back. "She's got quite a bit of strength, though."
The brass can was heavy, but it was a piece of cake for Selma. With a silly grin, she took it from Ye Sheng's hands with a "hey!" She carried the brass can and walked along the wall, carefully descending the steps one step at a time. The storage compartment was the first one on the left.
Selma went into the storage compartment, placed the brass can into the buffer rack, and tightened the fixing knobs on both sides to prevent it from slipping out due to the ship's swaying. As she bent down to check the fixation, her gaze swept over the upper part of the can. A crack snaked down from the edge of the can's opening, extending for about ten centimeters. Selma turned on her flashlight and peered inside. The crack was pitch black, and she couldn't see the bottom, but she could feel a faint airflow within, like the can breathing.
"Ye Sheng, was this jar already cracked before?" she asked into the communicator.
"It should have been like this from the beginning," Ye Sheng said.
Selma glanced at the crack again, then turned and left the storage room without thinking further.
The interior of the Moniach was cramped, with pipes running overhead, requiring the wearer to duck every few steps. Selma walked up the corridor to the upper levels, unconsciously slowing her pace as she passed the medical bay.
Selma stood in front of the door for a while. She wanted to knock and go in to check on Lu Mingfei's condition, but she hesitated and withdrew her outstretched hand.
Selma was intensively browsing the Night Watchers forum, constantly trying to understand the true nature of the relationship between Zero and Lu Mingfei. Zero's aura was like Hades, the god of the underworld, his attitude towards the entire world one of absolute indifference and emptiness. Lu Mingfei, on the other hand, was like Persephone, the goddess of spring. Hades, the queen of emptiness, had locked all her attention, protection, and uniqueness onto this one point: Lu Mingfei. To outsiders, she was an iceberg, but within that iceberg, she only melted for one person.
Selma wasn't sure if her judgment was right, but one thing she was certain of: Zero didn't want to be disturbed when he was with Lu Mingfei. She was also someone who could read people's expressions; she dared to joke with Aki, but she would never dare to disturb Zero and Lu Mingfei's private time.
Selma returned to the deck and saw Ye Sheng and Aki sitting on an overturned equipment case. Both of them had taken off their upper wetsuits, and their quick-drying undershirts clung to their bodies, soaking wet. They were both quiet, neither deliberately nor naturally, and neither of them broke the silence.
Selma didn't go over to strike up a conversation. At her age, she mostly felt that all the emotions in the world could be woven into the framework of a story. Whether it was Journey to the West, A Chinese Odyssey, or Indian mythology, there was always a ready-made character and plot waiting for her.
"Selma".
She turned around and saw Professor Mans standing at the cockpit door, staring at her.
"Have you put everything away?"
"It's all set up, and the door's locked!"
"Come help me with the data."
"yes!"
Selma followed Professor Mans into the bridge. Professor Mans walked to the bridge and picked up the satellite phone. "Headmaster, the main target of Operation Kuimen has been recovered. Everyone is safe and there have been no fatalities."
A deep, gentle voice came from the other end of the phone. Selma was far away and could only make out a few indistinct words.
"Yes, he is indeed outstanding," Professor Mans said. "Just as you described, or even more outstanding."
It was another string of words that Selma couldn't understand.
"Understood, I will bring them back safely." Mans hung up the phone. "Grayson, notify the engine room to prepare for startup. Once the rain subsides a bit, we'll exit through the Three Gorges Channel and try to reach the Yichang section before dawn."
The deck of the Moniach rose and fell slightly in the downpour, like a large fish slowly breathing. A strange, fishy smell drifted intermittently from downstream.
Selma sniffed, not paying any attention. She thought the first thing she'd do upon returning to the academy was take a hot shower, and the second was to write a grand farewell ceremony for her Sun Wukong character—Sun Wukong's golden cudgel would be officially handed over to S-class freshman Lu Mingfei, and she, Selma, would be promoted to Nezha.
Nezha is also a figure from Chinese mythology, so even without changing the setting, it's perfect.
Selma leaned over the gunwale and looked out. The fishy smell was getting stronger and stronger, and a huge whirlpool appeared on the surface of the water.